Let’s Choco-bout Love…

Romance is in the air as we approach Valentine’s Day — a holiday defined by fresh flowers, heart-shaped goodies, loving gestures, and consumerism. According to the National Retail Foundation (NRF) in 2022, $23.9B was spent on Valentine’s Day gifts for partners, friends, family, pets, and more — up from $21.8 billion in 2021 and the second-highest year on record. And there’s no stopping love this year, as the NRF expects spending to reach $25.9 billion this Valentine’s Day. With this in mind, we looked at Instacart’s purchase data to see what items have their biggest sales day of the year on Valentine’s Day and which states celebrate love the most…  

A Whole Lot of Love ❤️‍🔥

Here are the top 10 items that are more likely to be purchased on Valentine’s Day than any other day of the year:

• 🧁 Sweet stuff. Treats are undoubtedly popular on Valentine’s Day with chocolates topping the list as the #1 item purchased via Instacart and cupcakes — the best dessert for sharing — coming in third. 
• 🌸 Budding romance. Fresh-cut roses are #2 and — perhaps unsurprisingly — are the most popular flower sold via Instacart on Valentine’s Day. Carnations, the friendship flower, also makes the list at #10. 
• 💌 Be mine. The gifts don’t end at sweet treats and flowers, with balloons (#4), stuffed animals (#7), and Valentine’s Day cards (#9) also ranking high.
• 🦞 Surf and turf. Filet mignon (#5), lobster tails (#6), and scallops (#8), all have their biggest sales day of the year on Valentine’s Day — we love to know people are whipping up a fancy dinner at home.  

“Valentine’s Day has historically been a big day for Instacart, as it’s the top day for orders containing chocolates, flowers, and special occasion foods like lobster and filet mignon. Our purchase data also shows that non-grocery items like stuffed animals, balloons, and specialty gifts make their way into customer carts. February 14 is a day for everyone to show and share their love — whether that’s for a significant other, family member, friend, or pet.” – Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart’s Trends Expert

Choc-full of Surprises 🍫 

Nothing can really compete with chocolate and all its smooth and delicious glory – not to mention, romantic undertones. Let’s take a look at which states buy the most — and least — chocolate for February 14:

According to the heat map, these states buy more chocolate than the rest of the U.S. on Valentine’s Day:

1. Iowa (14.5% of orders on Valentine’s Day contain chocolate)
2. Vermont and West Virginia (14.4%)
3. Arkansas (14.2%)
4. Utah (14.1%)
5. Maine (14%)

These states buy the least amount of chocolate in the U.S.:

1. Hawaii (7.3% orders contain chocolate on Valentine’s Day)
2. California (9.4%)
3. Washington, D.C. (10%)
4. Nevada (10.3%)
5. Arizona (10.5%)

Stop and Smell the Roses 🌹

Is it even Valentine’s Day without fresh blooms? It’s no surprise roses are the quintessential Valentine’s Day flower and the second most popular item sold for Valentine’s Day. Here are the states that buy the most and least roses:

According to the heat map, these states buy more roses than the rest of the U.S. on Valentine’s Day:

1. Utah (3.2% of orders contain roses on Valentine’s Day)
2. Idaho (2.8%)
3. Kansas (2.7%)
4. Montana (2.5%)
5. Hawaii (2.5%)

These states buy less roses than the rest of the U.S. on Valentine’s Day:

1. North Dakota (0.5% of orders contain roses on Valentine’s Day)
2. Iowa (0.6%)
3. Connecticut (0.7%)
4. Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Vermont (0.8%)
5. Nebraska (0.9%)

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💘

Whether you plan to send love to a significant other, family member, friend, pet or a combination of all of the above, we’re making it easy with Instacart’s Gifts Hub — a quick, affordable, and inspirational way to send a Valentine — in as fast as an hour. To send some love, just visit instacart.com or open the Instacart App, enter your giftee’s address, and then tap the “Gifts” icon at the top of the home screen. From there, you can browse all of the retailers in your loved one’s area and shop for a variety of gifts including flowers, sweets, beauty products, premium grocery items, beverages, pet treats, and so much more.

We hope your day is filled with gratitude for those nearest and dearest to your heart. 

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,100 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.